


Once Upon a Christmas Time - Hannigram style

by amandasaitou



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-01
Updated: 2013-12-01
Packaged: 2018-01-03 03:02:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1064978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amandasaitou/pseuds/amandasaitou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will was never one to celebrate holidays. Hannibal, being Hannibal, finds a way to change that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Once Upon a Christmas Time - Hannigram style

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TrantRazber](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrantRazber/gifts).



ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS TIME  
(HANNIGRAM STYLE)

THANKSGIVING

Will Graham had never been one of holidays traditions.

With a runaway mother, a very detached father, and siblings that considered him a freak, mostly, there was never much to celebrate. 

This continued through his youth and adulthood, rejection after rejection, until his finding shelter into the FBI headquarters. His fortress, though, just added more fuel to his disbelief in any kind of saint deity or holy joy. 

To make things even worse, the amount of cruelties and injustices Will faced afterwards, the loss and the dread, the loneliness and the insanity, being locked up until the devil itself proved his innocence. The devil he'd learned to trust and to love as a friend, as he'd never done before. 

If God existed and placed Hannibal Lecter in his life, then nothing good would come from Him. And if he didn't, nothing good would come from life anyway.

At least he had his dogs back. 

 

DECEMBER 1st

Ironically enough, after his trial and release from Chilton's grasp, the upcoming press craze and the return to a life that was never going to be like it was before, getting back to the field had been the easiest of his tasks. 

There was a new criminal in town, one with a gruesome view of Christmas, apparently. Will was reporting his findings to Jack when the team's newest member arrived, perfectly suited and composed, despite the blood and body parts covering every part of the plain house. 

After all, his attention was solely focused on the only interesting living thing he believed to exist on Earth: Will Graham. 

Surely for the others it went unnoticeable, but Will could see it as clear as the blue sky above their heads. Hannibal would always be polite and helpful towards the group, specially Jack; but his caramel iced eyes glinted with mad adoration and curiosity when they found Will and no one else. For someone commonly ignored as him he should feel exhilarated, but it was Hannibal, and Will could never allow himself to ignore that for a single moment.

"Good day, I see this killer has a penchant for ... exaggeration." The doctor clearly acted as mildly disgusted, but Will saw better. No encephalitis there to blind him anymore, his empathy working as a spy glass through everybody's soul, Hannibal could no longer deceive him. The annoying fact was that Hannibal knew that, and seemed to enjoy a great deal their newly formed arrangement. "Don't you think, Will?" 

Will stared back for an instant before replying, being it difficult no to fly at the other's throat. "The Reaper has inspired lots of fans, doctor." Sarcasm was always inevitable between them.

The doctor smiled nonchalantly. "However this is not his work this time, dear Will. That seems excessively gory even for the Reaper."

"Yeah, because eating people is much nicer than using organs to decorate instead." Sighing and turning his attention back for the crime scene, Will tried to forget Hannibal was there, wondering who the killer would be.

Jack took Beverly outside to allow his special agents some space, praying for the hundredth time that they didn't kill each other. He wasn't used to doubting his own decisions, but putting those two together was a very unforeseeable one. 

Hannibal took the opportunity to get closer to Will while he was concentrated on the scene, and before Will could react, reached out to grab a lock of Will's hair in between his fingers. 

Will startled and almost feel down, as Hannibal timely caught him in his suffocating strong grip. The doctor looked at his shocked countenance with hunger as he spoke. "This is a young tortured man, whose family betrayed and rejected him time and time again, never allowing him to know what a healthy loving family would be like. As it is, he has developed this need for vengeance. His family must have been his first victims, but the pain persisted, and thus the elan to continue destroying happiness in other families, to take out what he could never have. He cheers the holidays in his inner child, but is so far broken that killing is unavoidable. He seeks families like his own, but you must already know all this by now, don't you?"

Will remained frozen in Hannibal's arms as he went on, warmer and less menacing. "And I love you" he said, placing a soft kiss in Will's temple and straightening him up, forcing the younger man to wake from his moment. 

 

DECEMBER 10th

The smell of fresh vegetables and perfect wine perfumed the richly decorated dining room. Every item was perfectly settled on the table, every napkin folded to excellence, nothing was left amiss. Exactly like the host of the night, a man worldwide considered perfection alive. Or at least by five of the six guests waiting patiently as Hannibal Lecter, said host, served some meat based dish and colorful salads with unpronounceable names as gracefully as humanly possible (and making sure he brushed Will every possible time too).

Alana had dragged Will to this and he tried to not hate her so much for it. After his release, she had insisted he reconnected to Hannibal as she believed he could help Will to recover. An idea Will was sure Hannibal successfully implanted into Alana's mind, using her guilty conscience against her.  
After serving the guests, Hannibal positioned himself at the head of the table, raising his cup full of wine, all smiles. "Before we start, I would like to make a toast to my dear friend Will Graham." He turned to the honored guest, and Will's face hardened. "I cannot express how happy I am to have you here by my side again, and I am sure all our friends here are as happy as myself tonight. Cheers!"

A shout of 'cheers' and raising glasses followed, least for Will, who felt embarrassed and ambushed at the same time. As all eyes were on him, Will forced a 'thank you' as politely as he could, recoiling a little further in his chair, wishing to run away from Hannibal right there and now. 

What proved to be impossible afterwards. Will had been placed sitting by Hannibal's left side, and with every available opportunity, the man found a way to touch Will 'by accident'.  
So much of that, Will thought with dread, that the others started to look at them strangely by the middle of the dinner. A doctor named Watts (a Hannibal old acquaintance) went as far as hinting they were a couple, especially after Hannibal placed a gentle hand over his and forced Will to stand up with him to the kitchen, never letting go of his hand in the way. 

As the passageway door closed after them, Hannibal dragged Will through the kitchen until reaching his cooking workstation. Will bumped with a thud against it, as Hannibal pressed him closer to it, strong arms trapping Will. "I must apologize for Watt's rudeness, I might take care of her afterwards, if you wish me so. She made you unconfortable."   
"She made me??" Will struggled against the hold, with little success. "You advanced on me the whole night, YOU made me unconfortable, not her!! Let me go!"   
Hannibal merely smiled, kissing his nose with mock tenderness (or so Will thought). "You seem everything but umconfortable, dear Will." Another kiss, a brush of lips against his right cheek, a soft voice in his ear. "When are you going to admit that you love me as much as I love you?"

Will's eyes widened angrily as Hannibal faced him again. "I hate you!" 

They remained frozen in their spot in the strange embrace, staring at each other, Hannibal amused and Will angry and confused.

It was the latter who broke the silence, turning Will around in his arms. "I have a proposition for you. Look."

Still confused, Will just then sighted a large cardboard box near the oven, and its contents made him snort. "Now what, Christmas decorations?"

"They are not near my high standards, but I believe they will be adequate to your house."

Hannibal sensed Will's precious heartbeat slightly change. "I don't celebrate, Doctor Lecter. Since you know everything about me, you should know that too."

"I want to spend Christmas with you, Will. And your dogs as well, if necessary. Like a family."

As Will remained stoic, Hannibal forced him to turn around. Will's face was... hurt and broken. Beautiful as Hannibal admired, but strangely, not as satisfying as it should be to the doctor.   
They were so close that Hannibal saw himself inching a bit closer placing a ghost kiss over Will's lips. In a strangely reassuring voice he spoke. "Come now, dessert has to be served."

 

DECEMBER 20th

Jack had called Will very early in the morning. It was about Hannibal. And it was bad. 

The killer had somehow caught Hannibal during an unauthorized investigation, and he'd contacted the FBI insisting that he'd surrender to the police and free the doctor if Will Graham came to talk to him. All the way to meet Jack the profiler wondered why in hell his chest tightened painfully at the idea of Hannibal being truly gone for good. He was a monster, a killer, a cannibal. Wouldn't the world be better if he died? 

His mind stated that yes, he should, but his heart screamed for the contrary, he had to be alive. 

The place was an old storehouse, cops surrounding the whole building. Jack seemed more nervous than usual, waving for Will to run. "Listen, Will, Hannibal doesn't want you to go in. He planned to coax the killer into surrender. Maybe he can do that."

Will sighed, decision already made in his mind. "Doctor Lecter can do a lot of extraordinary things, Jack, but today, he needs my help. I'll enter there, and no one is going to stop me."

Jack frowned. "Is Hannibal that much important to you, Will?" 

Grabbing his gun in his hands, Will ran to the entrance and Jack barely heard as he said "He's the only family I have."

 

DECEMBER 24th

Will woke up to children humming Christmas carols in the corridor of the hospital. It was Christmas Eve after all, and the songs might help the kids to stand spending the holidays in that place with a little more joy than it called for. 

To Will, though, little joy was left. He still saw and dreamed of red, the blood sipping through his hands, desperation ripping through his heart like never before. Why it always had to be like that? Was because of that curse that someone as Hannibal was dragged to him? Wherever Will looked, it seemed only despair and blood would wait for him.

Alana knocked lightly at the door, announcing her presence. She too seemed a little sadder than usual; it should be natural, for her Hannibal was a friend too, so she cared. "How is he?"

He turned to the man sleeping peacefully on the bed, an oxygen mask hiding half of his face, IV's feeding him with medicines. Hannibal looked pale as a ghost, not at all remembering the dangerous man he really was. Not that Will cared about it now anyway. "Still sleeping. The doctors can't say when he's waking up, he's lost too much blood."

She sat by his side, taking Will's hands between hers. "You did everything possible to save him, Will. He will get better, Hannibal has always been the stronger person I've met."

Will said nothing, a forced tiny smile appearing to thank Alana for her support. 

"You know, Will, when Hannibal was my tutor at University, I saw all the women and men stare at him in adoration, and yet, despite all his politeness, I've never seen give any of them, even myself, the distinction he gives you."

He eyed her surprised, because he understood what Alana was implying. She went on. "Hannibal loves you, Will, and I'm pretty certain that you love him too."  
"Alana, I-" She stopped him. "No, Will, it is so clear for me now, since the beginning, it was him, and not me. You know I'm right."

His eyes went back to Hannibal, and he knew that yes, Alana was right, as always. "I'll go now, but let me know if he wakes up." She left silently, and Will finally let go the unwanted tears, the fear, the confusion, everything flowing through a strangled cry.

 

JANUARY 1st

His house sparkled excessively with the exaggerated amount of Christmas decorations spread through it. He'd done a fine job, despite the lack of experience. He hoped his guest would like it.

The barking of his dogs announced the ambulance arrival. Will ran outside like a kid awaiting for Santa, and his hear skipped a beat or two as Hannibal Lecter was brought outside, elegant as usual despite some faltering steps due to the pain he might've still be feeling.

He thanked the nurses who helped him, as Will approached taking Hannibal by the arm. Hannibal smiled broadly at him. "Hello, Will. Happy Holidays!"

Will merely nodded, motioning him to go inside. The dogs followed him, jumping happily around them both.

Hannibal sat in the couch, looking his whereabouts, and all the decorations he'd bought for Will ornamenting the tiny house. 

Will wanted to rip that victorious smile from the other's face, but he was much too happy inside to do that. "Is it to your liking?"

"Everything is perfect, Will. I am just sorry you missed the real holidays because of me." He stood up, walking slowly to where Will stood.   
Will averted his eyes, but strong hands lifted his face so Hannibal could look him in the eye. He was serious. "Thank you for saving my life, Will. I know you must feel divided about this decision, and be sure I will weight that in my future...actions."

"You're alive and that's all that matters now. I don't care if you're killing me tomorrow or the whole city, not today, Hannibal." 

Hannibal smirked. "I've never intended to kill you, Will, and somebody would clearly noticed if a whole city disappeared. Especially Jack."

Will sighed and nodded. "Yeah, probably he'd start suspecting you then." 

Hannibal's arms embraced Will slightly, and as Will didn't resist, he pulled him closer, nose to nose with Will. "I know you truly see me, Will, and I love you so much for it. If you don't want to believe anything else, please believe me in this."

Will's response was closing the small gap between them to kiss Hannibal, and be kissed back. At that moment Will felt loved, cherished, with a family, and some reason to celebrate, at last. For now, it was all that mattered. 

THE END?

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, TrantRazber, I1m not sure if it was this you had in mind, but I really hope you enjoy your gift, as it was written from the heart. Merry Christmas!^^


End file.
